Nonresident angler participation in Alaskan sport fisheries has increased at a higher rate than resident participation during the past decade. Popular sport fisheries have become crowded and stakeholder groups are increasingly concerned about the future direction of Alaska sport fisheries management. To address stakeholder concerns in an informed manner, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) commissioned a market segmentation study to collect baseline information for assessing the impacts of projects and strategies that provide benefits to the angling public. I developed a 24-page mail questionnaire that was sent to a stratified random sample of 15,000 Alaska nonresident fishing license holders. Information was collected on fishing participation, fishing experience, activity-specific attitudes, motivations for fishing, as well as species and locations fished. In addition, information on setting preferences, guide use, fish exportation, and opinions on several management proposals was also collected. The response rate was 54% (exclusive of surveys that were undeliverable). A two-stage empirical clustering approach, employing Ward's method and UPGMA hierarchical clustering followed by k-means partitioning, identified five nonresident angler clusters. A combination of seven specialization and four motivation variables were used to identify angler groups. The angler segments ranged in size from 15% to 24% of the sample and had diverse characteristics including differences in frequency of participation, fishing experience and preferences, as well as motivations for fishing. Significant differences existed among angler segments with regard to Alaska fishing characteristics, such as number of days and locations fished in Alaska, number of fish transported from Alaska, attributes important in fishery site selection, and likelihood of returning to Alaska to fish.

Differences in fishing characteristics, resource dependency, and preferences with regard to fishery attributes also were found among anglers participating in selected Alaska sport fisheries, as well as anglers fishing for different species within a fishery location (e.g., Kenai River). Information provided by this study will allow ADF&G to assess the relative nonresident demand for different types of angling experiences in Alaska, estimate nonresident angler response to potential management actions, and focus planning and management activities in ways that are consistent with the interests of these different angler types. Results also demonstrate the potential for fishery-based segmentation to provide fisheries managers with a more detailed understanding of nonresident angler participation at the regional and fishery level.